ANTS!!!

[QMastaD]

We are on our first trip in our new Roo 23IKSS. This morning we woke up to a line of ants on our wall. Thousands of them! Is this normal or is our slide not sealed properly?


Me, DW, our 3 sons and DD on the way
2014 Rockwood Roo 23IKSS
2007 Chevy Tahoe V8

[Wiscampsin]

Not normal, but as you know they can come in through the smallest opening. First line of defense is stop them from entering. Do you have any unsealed food they are searching for? You could try spraying an ant barrier around every area that touches the ground, tires, stabilizers, tongue jack, etc. Sometimes they can get on the roof if your camper is close to trees. If you can find where they are entering the interior try putting down some type of ant bait.

[billt01]

Once we have set up and everything is where it will be for the next few days..the 1st thing I do is spray the perimeter of the TT. I also spray the electrical cord, water hose and any other connections that lead into the TT. I also spray the slide seals...

I use the following:

Raid Max® Bug Barrier

Never had a issue with ANY bugs in the TT

[RSchleder]

Originally Posted by billt01

Once we have set up and everything is where it will be for the next few days..the 1st thing I do is spray the perimeter of the TT. I also spray the electrical cord, water hose and any other connections that lead into the TT. I also spray the slide seals...

I use the following:

Raid Max® Bug Barrier

Never had a issue with ANY bugs in the TT

Good plan, very much the same as we do. You might also consider a product called "Home Defense".

[QMastaD]

So it's not a defect in the construction of the camper, it is just part of life?


Me, DW, our 3 sons and DD on the way
2014 Rockwood Roo 23IKSS
2007 Chevy Tahoe V8

[vinmaker]

OMG! Fix that quick. The DW must be freaking out.

Get some ant spray and kill those suckers.

Vin.

[QMastaD]

Originally Posted by vinmaker

The DW must be freaking out.

Vin.

She is freaking out!

We have some fellow campers picking up some stuff for us right now.


Me, DW, our 3 sons and DD on the way
2014 Rockwood Roo 23IKSS
2007 Chevy Tahoe V8

[Weezer]

I read on Pinterest this weekend that cinnamon will deter ants. Sprinkle it in a perimeter around your RV. That should be acceptable to the "enviros".

We use bug spray....as soon as we're set up....around ANY area that comes in contact with the ground.

I've also read that a perimeter of plain old corn meal will stop 'em. Also enviro friendly.

If you have an exterminator contract for your S&B and keep your RV at home, have them take care of it every month too as an added line of defense. Our exterminator does the RV at no extra charge.

[ependydad]

We just dealt with this in Florida. Wife was losing her crap over it.

First, we went looking for their path in. With a flashlight, we inspected the whole bottom of the camper focusing on anywhere there was a path from the ground to anywhere inside of it. We found that our black tank flush water hose ran through an ant hill on the way to the camper. This was toward the rear of the camper but we found that most of the ants were towards the middle to front.

First, we cleaned as much as possible- vacuuming all messes and wiping things down with cleaners anywhere that seemed like a target for ants. With the 2 kids, this was a constant battle.

Second, we went to Walmart and got the most gnarly looking ant/bug spray that we could find. Ironically, we had already sprayed this around once- just not where the hoses went in. Each hose and tires got hit.

Third, we bought a pack of 6 Terro Ant Bait traps. We put them in each area that had high concentrations of ants. The one place that seemed to help get some was the front propane compartment.

My wife also used an eco/kid friendly ant spray inside. I don't know what was in it, but we suffered an overwhelming smell of peppermint for a while.

It took about 3 days before we saw a drastic reduction in ants and about a week until we didn't see any more.

[Timex]

Originally Posted by ependydad

We just dealt with this in Florida. Wife was losing her crap over it.

First, we went looking for their path in. With a flashlight, we inspected the whole bottom of the camper focusing on anywhere there was a path from the ground to anywhere inside of it. We found that our black tank flush water hose ran through an ant hill on the way to the camper. This was toward the rear of the camper but we found that most of the ants were towards the middle to front.

First, we cleaned as much as possible- vacuuming all messes and wiping things down with cleaners anywhere that seemed like a target for ants. With the 2 kids, this was a constant battle.

Second, we went to Walmart and got the most gnarly looking ant/bug spray that we could find. Ironically, we had already sprayed this around once- just not where the hoses went in. Each hose and tires got hit.

Third, we bought a pack of 6 Terro Ant Bait traps. We put them in each area that had high concentrations of ants. The one place that seemed to help get some was the front propane compartment.

My wife also used an eco/kid friendly ant spray inside. I don't know what was in it, but we suffered an overwhelming smell of peppermint for a while.

It took about 3 days before we saw a drastic reduction in ants and about a week until we didn't see any more.

Try to explain the highlighted above.


When you sprayed inside, was it an aerosol. If it was, how did the CO alarm like it?

I hope you didn't get any ants in that long, flowing mane of yours!

Welcome to FLORIDA!

[D-mo]

it maybe me ... but it looks like those little buggers are definately heading to a source of food, those bad boys are not just going out for a Sunday stroll.

id fog the camper with some interior product ... close it up for about 6 hrs, then open it all up for a day or two ...

or .. take it back to the dealer .. .who knows where some guy who built it stuffed his leftover sandwich ..


d-mo

[themounties]

X2 on cinnamon they won't cross it, I also found out from this forum that they won't cross vaseline, I put it around the water hose and electric cord, just remember to wipe off before you leave, DW didn't find any humor in grabbing the cord right where the vaseline was.lol

[meck51]

I spray the inside of the trailer with Home Defense, along the floor/wall, around the entire door and around the slide seals. I spray my stabilizers and axles as well as my jack. When I set up I spray around those same areas. I got bit by a brown recluse several years ago and my arm blew up like a tic. I now hate all bugs, I put up with them when I'm outside as I do enjoy the outdoors, but those little bastards better stay away from my house.


Sent from my iPhone using Forest River Forums

[Weezer]

Originally Posted by D-mo

it maybe me ... but it looks like those little buggers are definately heading to a source of food, those bad boys are not just going out for a Sunday stroll.

id fog the camper with some interior product ... close it up for about 6 hrs, then open it all up for a day or two ...

or .. take it back to the dealer .. .who knows where some guy who built it stuffed his leftover sandwich ..


d-mo

Uhhhh not everything that happens to our RVs is a warranty issue. Seriously...when the ants got into ours there was NO food *anywhere* that they could get to. Granted, the infestation wasn't that bad, but they *were* marching in lines....LOOKING for food. Ants, in my experience, always travel in lines like that.

One exception; perhaps those ants have decided caulk is a food source. And hopefully those aren't carpenter ants. They *do* look much larger than the "piss ants" that attacked our V-Lite.

Camped one site over from where we got ants (a year ago) two weekends ago in our 5er. YEP, still got an ant problem there. This time we sprayed everything touching the ground (a circle around the tires, hoses, etc. didn't want it to damage the rubber) and got NO ants!

[ependydad]

Originally Posted by Timex

Try to explain the highlighted above.


When you sprayed inside, was it an aerosol. If it was, how did the CO alarm like it?

I hope you didn't get any ants in that long, flowing mane of yours!

Welcome to FLORIDA!

LOL. We did get ants in the bedroom and that's when she really got mad. There is literally no food in here for them to be marching around. But, my long flowing locks definitely were in jeopardy...

I think the product that we sprayed was something like this:
Buy EcoSmart - Organic Ant & Roach Killer - 14 oz. at LuckyVitamin.com

I'll have to go see if the can is still in the camper. No issues with the CO alarm at all.

[lswartz]

Use Comet or Ajax around anything that touches the ground. Ants won't cross it. As previously suggested, I would bug bomb the inside opening all cabinet doors etc. Get all the food out & wash anything that you cook with before using. Seems like it takes 6 hours or more & use 2 cans (might be over kill but why fight fair). After a rain you will have to reapply the Comet/Ajax.

Good luck.

P.S. ants get into any thing, it has nothing to do with how you RV was constructed.

[Arefbee]

Ant traps are a good choice right along the trail they are following - let them do the work; they carry the bait back home.

This was making me a little twitchy until FL was mentioned. I lived in Daytona for a while and still cringe when I think of fire ants.

[kenandterry]

Are the ants from where you store your rig or did they just show up after going camping?

[kerrlakelover]

First I agree with everyone, spray anything that touches the ground as soon as you get set up. Second, look at the roof to insure they cannot come in from a limb that is touching the roof. (Our friends realized that access issue.) And third, just as important...don't forget to RE-APPLY whatever you use if it rains.

Like someone else said, make sure you are doing something where you store your RV. I had carpenter ants get in my boat years ago and literally ate the wooden seat frame to nothing. While the boat was at the lake Friday afternoon to Sunday afternoon, the ants had Monday thru Friday to go and come as they please. (And the ants who went to the lake in the boat every weekend had a good story to share with those who stayed home...haha).

[doodler]

[QUOTE=Weezer;673605]I read on Pinterest this weekend that cinnamon will deter ants. Sprinkle it in a perimeter around your RV. That should be acceptable to the "enviros"

x2 that's what I use.